If could choose between them, which would you pick?

[.sarah]

Another post about breeders (Oranutango's post made me want to post about the two breeders I'm tossing back and forth between ).

BelMar Great Danes - She has answered nearly everything on her website that I would ask when purchasing. I did, however, just e-mail her with a few questions regarding health testing, longevity, and health and temperment problems in her bloodlines. Everything else I needed to know was on her website. She has, in my opinion, some of the BEST looking Danes. She does not breed often (only when she plans to keep a pup) and that is a huge plus in my book.

Asbury Great Danes - Has gorgeous dogs! She doesn't have a lot of information on her website so I e-mailed her last night with about 7-8 questions. Her dogs and her about us section is what got me interested in her. Also, she's VERY conveniently located, although I would travel across the country to get the best pup if I had to. It's just, finding a breeder that is close would be better so I can visit the pups every week or so once they are old enough.

Is there anything that jumps out at you about either one of them? Does one look better than the other? Does one do anything you don't agree with?

Once they have e-mailed me back I will update with their answers.

[.sarah]

I literally e-mailed the lady from BelMar about a minute before I posted and she has already e-mailed me back. She was so nice and very honest. She combined the last two questions into one answer. Here is what she said.

What health testing do you do on your Danes?
I always prelim OFA at about one year and usually, but not always OFA at two. I also like to CERF and get a heart clearance though cardio myopathy is not something that can be cleared. In other words a dog can have a heart clearance and still get cardio down the road.

What is the longevity in your lines? Do your Danes (or your Dane's parents and grand parents, etc.) live past the average lifespan? Longevity is important to me, and I'd like to get a Dane from lines that have lived 10 years or more.
Have you had any problems, health- or temperment-wise, in your bloodlines?
Belle my oldest is eight and very bouncy, active and healthy, her mother is still alive but her father passed away at 7 years. There seems to be more longevity in the females than the males. Of her 10 children (one litter of eight and one of two), two girls bloated and died. I know that the second one was stress related and should have never happened, she was moved into another home with hostile dogs and so kept confined in the garage. had I known, I would have taken her back. The other, I do not have much info on as the family she went to was not very communicative after the placement. One boy died of osteosarcoma just shy of his fifth birthday and one girl has recently been diagnosed with the same, she is 6 1/2. Dogs are 40% more likely to get cancer than people which is one reason I provide a VPI insurance policy with my puppies. It has a cancer rider included. Another boy had a heart condition and was put down at six. Two owners have dropped off the face of the earth and I have no information on the puppies that went to them. I have two daughters, one 6 1/2 and one 4 1/2 and they are in excellent health. The third girl (4 1/2) living elsewhere, is also in great health. I know that that looks pretty grim.
Danes are known as a heartbreak breed. I have had Danes live to 13 years and others die as early as four. About 4 years ago I switched to raw feeding and am convinced that it is responsible for the health and vitality of my Danes at home, compared to their siblings, though I won't really know myself for years to come. With my last litter, I provided each prospective family with books on raw feeding to answer their questions about what I was doing and now all the families but one are also raw feeding.
I am also much more cautious about who I place a puppy with. I am not really interested in finding show homes that are going to shift dogs around and stress them. Though not all show homes do. It is important to me that the lines of communication be kept open so that I can answer questions and get information.
As for temperaments. I believe that you have to work hard to make a Dane go bad. Assuming that it has been properly raised and socialized you can absolutely trust a Dane to behave. I have worked with rescue for years and even mistreated Danes have such solid temperaments when treated correctly. I won't say that there are no bad Danes out there but I have never met one.
Well I tried to answer your questions as thoroughly as I could. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

[Suki Wingy]

hmm, BelMar seems nice if you like that type of person, but they doe list the price right first, something that bothers me. I would trust them but they wouldn't be my first choise.
All in All, I like the BelMar dogs better. I can't tell what is going on timewise with the litters at Asburry, how close they were bred and everything. They also seem a little fine boned.

[Toby's my baby]

It looks and sounds like BelMar would be a better place. Even though they are not as close to you. I would probably go with BelMar if I were you.

[buttercup132]

i like the first one , she seems really good and is ready to answer any questions you thow at her ,she sounds like shes had alot of experience

[.sarah]

Thanks for the replies! The lady from BelMar and I are e-mailing back and forth now. We are talking about my situation with Mandy and Luka (we are keeping them seperated due to a nasty fight two weeks ago) and she sounds iffy about placing a pup with me. I guess I don't blame her. She is being very helpful, though.

hmm, BelMar seems nice if you like that type of person, but they doe list the price right first, something that bothers me. I would trust them but they wouldn't be my first choise.

Just curious, why does that bother you? It would normally bother me, but this is not a BYB or puppy mill, and I'm sure she gets asked a lot. Some people just can't afford that much so it's really nice to go to the website and see the price before falling so in love with her dogs and her breeding style and then finding out you can't afford them.

All in All, I like the BelMar dogs better. I can't tell what is going on timewise with the litters at Asburry, how close they were bred and everything. They also seem a little fine boned.

Well, that was one of the questions I asked when I e-mailed the girl from Asbury, but she has not gotten back to me yet (I told her I was in no rush and to take her time, so it may be a while).

i like the first one , she seems really good and is ready to answer any questions you thow at her ,she sounds like shes had alot of experience

They've actually both been breeding about the same amount of time, and because I haven't gotten a reply from the lady at Asbury I can't tell who seems to be more knowledgeable yet. She just doesn't have much info on her website.

[Vette]

I like BelMar.

[areias]

I like BelMar much better than Asbury. She seems more genuine. I like the fact that she offers pet insurance with puppy, versus Asbury just stating that they replace the puppy if it dies within a year. And in the buyer contract, this is what it states:

The Buyer agrees to: (1) provide prompt medical attention for any illness or injury to said Great Dane. (2) perform a yearly “wellness exam”. (3) vaccinate said Great Dane no earlier than 6 months of age if. Buyer understands that the Breeders do not support or recommend vaccinations and agrees that Breeders have provided information concerning problems associated with vaccinations. If the dog is vaccinated, Leptospirosis and Corona virus vaccines shall be omitted. Buyer understands that the Breeders do not recommend annual vaccination boosters. Buyer also understands that unless said Great Dane is to be professionally kenneled, the Kennel Cough Vaccine shall not be administered. Buyer understands that the use of flea/tick products (over the counter or prescribed by a veterinarian) is known to be detrimental to the health of Great Danes. Buyer agrees to NEVER use the product “Revolution” on the dog. Buyer agrees to never allow the use of cortisteroids on the dog and that doing so will automatically null and void this warranty/contract. Buyer understands that the Breeders believe that initial and regular annual vaccinations, including Rabies, are detrimental to the health of the Great Dane breed, and that any illness arising from such vaccinations, confirmed by the Breeder’s veterinarian, will not be warranted.

I would think that would not be wise, not to vaccinate your puppy at all. Please tell me if I'm wrong, I don't know specifics on Great Danes too well. But all in all, I would go with DelMar. Her adults are prettier too.

[.sarah]

I like BelMar much better than Asbury. She seems more genuine. I like the fact that she offers pet insurance with puppy, versus Asbury just stating that they replace the puppy if it dies within a year. And in the buyer contract, this is what it states:



I would think that would not be wise, not to vaccinate your puppy at all. Please tell me if I'm wrong, I don't know specifics on Great Danes too well. But all in all, I would go with DelMar. Her adults are prettier too.

I saw that ... she kind of "hid" it on her site. I didn't really look at the puppy page, I was more interested in the adults and her breeding program. I think the contract should be in a more visible place. Anyway, I disagreed with a *LOT* of stuff on her contract.

The lady from BelMar quit e-mailing me. I'm hoping it's because of the holidays, but I started to get the vibe that she didn't want to sell a pup to me anyway. I haven't found another fawn breeder that I like, so I may have to go with another color. Fawn is my choice, but I really do love all the colors except Harlequin and Brindle.

*Sigh* This is so disheartening. I hope I can find the perfect breeder. I've been searching for so long, and still have come up with nothing.

[animal_rescue]

The price thing bothers me too, I like it better when it's not named on the site.

[Alysser]

The price on the website bothers me. It shows more love when it's not named on the site. Besides, that I like that the litters are not that frequent. Her danes are beautiful to. I love Belle! She is so pretty. I also like the fact the she offers pet insurance when you purchase a puppy.

[Corinna]

We do now have a member who you could ask . Eastwood Danes. e-mail her and ask your questions I bet she could give you pointers on the breed and breeders.

[.sarah]

We do now have a member who you could ask . Eastwood Danes. e-mail her and ask your questions I bet she could give you pointers on the breed and breeders.

That's a very good idea! Thank you

[AllAmericanPUP]

bel mar looks like a better breeder to me, i like her/his dogs better to...maybe its just the pics or maybe the people are tall but the asbury dogs look fairly small for great danes....

[.sarah]

bel mar looks like a better breeder to me, i like her/his dogs better to...maybe its just the pics or maybe the people are tall but the asbury dogs look fairly small for great danes....

The lady is probaby tall. I thought that too, at first. Some of her Danes are champions and the ones that aren't are starting their show career. If a Dane is under the correct height they are immediately disqualified, so they would never become a CH if they weren't tall enough.